


What Do You See?

by Ceeya (ceeya)



Series: Sakura x Lucien [1]
Category: Naruto, 恋与制作人 | Liàn Yǔ Zhì Zuò Rén | Mr. Love: Queen's Choice (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceeya/pseuds/Ceeya
Summary: Lucien thought he started understanding what colors meant when he saw Youran. Then she came along and spread the brightness all around him.But she was never destined to stay.At least, not unless he did something about it.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Lucien
Series: Sakura x Lucien [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018209
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	1. White

It was just another boring day in his office. Or it was supposed to be until he ran into Youran, who had come to visit for another segment in her show. He enjoyed these moments, her bringing in the brightness in his otherwise monochrome world.

And it wasn't just her being the only color in a sea of grey, but it was in everything that she stood for. Her joy, enthusiasm, passion, and even melancholy all serve to paint a radiant portrait that chased away the bleakness that surrounded him. And sometimes, if he stared hard enough, if he was feeling particularly poetic (or delusional, his logical mind often corrected), he could almost swear that her hues were slowly spreading to their surroundings.

But after these moments, when she leaves his periphery and rejoins a world that did not include him, everything shifts back into focus. Black Swan. Evolvers. The next step of human evolution. And he continues on his research and plots out the next steps in order to achieve his goals.

Some days, he wondered if he'd go mad with the constant switching between cold, calculating Ares and warm, comforting Lucien. He’d contemplate the idea of discarding Lucien, allowing Ares full reign to pull the Queen into his orbit, caging her to his whims. Then she'd turn to him with a smile, a laugh, or a pout, and all these thoughts dissipate into the air, leaving behind a sinking realisation that he was already in far too deep, that he should extract himself before he gets sucked into her orbit.

Humans are irrational creatures. He thought as he heard himself agreeing to appear in another segment after his explanation of the time space theory, feeling his lips tilt up into a soft smile when her entire face glowed upon hearing his acceptance.

A soft knock on the door broke the sweet atmosphere around the pair, as Lucien gave the visitor permission to enter. The twisting of metal and squeak of the door hinges gave way to the sound of measured footsteps as two figures came into view.

It was his coworker, Professor Zorn. He also had someone with him. A young lady with jagged shoulder length hair, wearing a lab coat similar to his, except hers opened to show a rather non-professional outfit. A sleeveless zipped shirt and a slitted skirt showing dark shorts underneath paired with almost knee length boots made her seem more an athlete playing dress up than the doctor that her coat seemed to imply.

“Professor Lucien, I wanted to introduce you to Doctor Haruno. She's here with us temporarily as a consulting doctor and a medical expert. Doctor Haruno, this is Professor Lucien. He's one of the leading researchers in the University. He’s quite well versed in multiple fields so he'll be able to help you with your research.”

“It's nice to meet you, Professor Lucien. Please, just call me Sakura.” The woman stepped forward and placed a hand out for him to shake. Assertive. Confident too, if her stance was any indication. Interesting.

“It's a pleasure, Miss Sakura.” He reached out to grasp the offered hand and gave a firm shake, making sure his expression was open, but distant. Willing to help, but also aloof enough that she would go to other staff before even thinking of asking him any questions.

The way her smile went a bit strained showed that she caught his deliberate shirking of using her actual title. The flash of indignation in her eyes was muted but still visible. Passionate then, also easy to anger. Especially as he could still see it even with his disability.

She immediately pulled her hand away from his and stepped back, allowing Professor Zorn to continue the conversation. However, it seems that his colleague wasn’t going to be with them long, if the continuous pings from his phone was any indication.

“Apologies, Doctor Haruno, Professor Lucien. I'm afraid I have to go. Something urgent just came up. Doctor Haruno, I'll continue our tour of the campus tomorrow.”

“It's not a problem, Professor Zorn. Thank you for showing me around. I'm sure I'll be able to find my way back to the lab. Please say hello to Sharon for me.” She gave a cheerful wave as the Professor left the room, in a hurry to get to his wife.

Hmm….A people person, also intuitive. Or maybe connected, if she knew the Professor's wife.

She seemed about to turn back to him when she noticed Youran sitting at the chair, looking at her inquisitively, eyes darting to her hair and eyes. The way Youran was biting her lips, Lucien could tell that she was barely exploding from the questions bubbling inside her.

“Hello, I'm sorry. I didn't know Professor Lucien had a guest. Do you also work here?” She gave a slight bow to the brown-haired girl.

“Oh!” Youran stood up and returned the bow, having to juggle her pen and notebook as they almost fell from hands at the speed of her movements. “My name is Youran. I'm not a staff member here. I'm the TV Producer of Miracle Finder. Professor Lucien often consults to provide facts for our shows.”

Sakura used two hands to receive the business card that was provided and took a cursory look at it before carefully putting it in her pocket.

“Miracle Finder. I saw that show. You had a segment on Space Folding.” Unbeknownst to the two of them, Lucien tensed and focused on the newcomer, suspicious at the mention of that specific show. Miracle Finder had a lot of other supernatural productions that Space Folding was not all that unique, unless someone was looking deep into Evolvers.

“Yes!” Youran clapped her hands in excitement. “Professor Lucien helped a lot with the information on that one!”

Sakura scrutinised the young woman in front of her. This person. When she got excited, the aura around her pulsed with power. Almost as if the world tried to conform itself to her emotions.

“Doctor Sakura?” Youran looked flustered at the sudden attention. It was almost similar to Lucien's observing eyes, making her second guess herself again.

The pink haired woman quickly reverted back to her usual demeanor, reassuring the producer that she was just lost in thought due to her research topic.

“To be honest, I'm really interested to find out more about it. It may tie into some of the sections of my own research. I hope I'll be able to glean some knowledge from you as well, Professor.” Sakura's face moved from Youran to Lucien as she moved to address him, a professional smile playing about her lips.

“Of course. I'd be glad to help wherever needed.” Was Lucien's typical response.

“Ah! Doctor Sakura.” Both of them turned to face Youran at the hesitant call. “I'm sorry for being forward, but about your research, if you manage to get information about space folding, would you be willing to appear as a guest on my show?”

“I mean, only if you want to! I just….I thought having a researched take on it would be helpful in making the segment be more fact-based than just speculation and verbal testimonies…. Ah! I don't mean that Professor Lucien's information is not fact-based but… Umm…”

Youran tried her best at the pitch, stumbling as she almost put her foot in her mouth at the insinuation against Lucien’s theories.

The other two just gave humor-filled smiles as the producer struggled to make her offer and not offend the other person in the room. Until Sakura decided to put the girl out of her misery.

“Sure. If my schedule is clear, I'd be happy to provide my expertise on Miracle Finder. Here's my card. You can contact me through the number there.”

Sakura gave a light grin at the younger female. She was so cute! That entire scene just reminded her so much of Hinata that she couldn't help but be charmed.

But she was curious though. She channeled some healing chakra on the calling card that she offered, wondering if it would have any effect when Youran took it.

When Youran touched the card, she immediately felt a soothing feel envelope her body, draining away the stress from the previous week's sleepless nights. It simultaneously felt like she'd slept for an entire week _and_ went for a full body massage all in one. 

What Sakura observed was that the chakra transferred from the card to her body before being absorbed and disappearing. Interesting. Most everything in this world just expelled her chakra or, at most, took hold of it until it dissipated on its own. It was the first time she saw anything _absorb_ it.

Lucien, however, was rooted on the spot, shock filling his entire body. That card. Before Youran touched it, he could see the white of the card along with the black lettering of the doctor's name. It shone like a spotlight in the grey backdrop. How was it possible? And it was only for a brief instant. The moment it passed on to Youran, color drained out of it and seeped into her body, turning her even brighter, almost glowing, to his sensitive eyes. And then it was gone, as if it never happened at all.

Who was this new person? Was she an evolver as well? 

Three silent beats passed in the room as each person individually digested the outwardly simple scene before reality came back and Sakura excused herself from the room. Youran and Lucien then continued their previous conversation, but the girl did notice that the professor was a bit distracted after that meeting, wondering if he was still captured by the lingering presence of their unintended visitor.


	2. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura continues on her quest to find a way back home.
> 
> Lucien discovers that Youran may not be the only thing he can see in color.

It had been a few months since Haruno Sakura moved to Loveland. She'd made herself comfortable with her workload and even guest starred at some of Miracle Finders episodes. Overall, her stay had been uneventful, which was starting to frustrate her.

She had been hoping to gain more information about Evolvers and their powers, thinking that one of them would hold the key to getting her back to Konoha. Loveland had came into her radar when that show about Space Folding came out. If a phenomenon was worthy enough to be aired with scientific backing, even if it was just conjecture, it means that the incidents were not one-off, that there was precedence and potential reoccurrence.

She did her research and there seemed to be quite a lot of unexplainable events happening all over Loveland, based on the social media postings. So she pulled some strings to get a temporary transfer through, assuming that being in the epicenter of these strange events would give her concrete answers and solutions.

But so far, she got nothing. Anytime something happened, it would be in social media and by the time she looked into it, any information outside of second hand testimonies were gone. She even once slipped into the police headquarters to look into their database. Nothing. Any worthwhile information was either deleted or had an encryption that was far too complex for her to unlock.

If it weren't for Youran and Lucien, she would have been ready to pack her bags and go somewhere else to look for leads.

There was something strange about those two that she couldn't put a finger on. Youran was your typical hard working adult. She had her friends, her hobbies, her work. All above board. But the aura around her was weird, mesmerising, the bubble around her giving off an almost electromagnetic feel. Also, whenever Sakura used chakra near her, her body would just absorb it all, like it was hungry for any energy that she could get. Sakura had tried it against all the other residents of Loveland that she encountered and only Youran had that reaction.

Then there was Lucien. He was a fountain of knowledge, “dabbling” in all sorts of fields that sometimes exceeded what some experts could claim to know. It was exhilarating, and unnerving. He was always helpful, willing to spare time to answer any asinine question brought his way. More than a few times, she asked obviously stupid questions to see his reaction. He remained calm and collected, the warm look on his face never faltering. His unflappable demeanor gave her goosebumps, reminding her of both Sai and Orochimaru simultaneously.

But he knew more than he let on. It was clear from the way he answered her questions. They were clear cut and straight to the point, closing off any holes for further inquiry. Too clear cut. He was hiding something, she just needed to figure out if it was that something was relevant to her quest.

* * *

Lucien leaned against the glass panes of his office, quietly observing the people on the streets. In a view a few floors above the ground, the rest of the populace seemed like ants, tiny creatures in an experiment that he was running.

Speaking of experiments, Hades had set up the stage to unlock the Queen's power by tying up with HBS. The next step would be to bring the girl to the scene and see if her memories could be triggered by a recreation of her past.

It was far too overt for Lucien's taste. Having something happen on such a public sphere meant more eyes and more investigation if any media companies got a hold of the footage. That means he'd be stuck with cleaning up the mess when it will, predictably, go sideways.

But he couldn't interfere too much. He was already under scrutiny for his slow progress with the Queen's awakening. He needed to back off and let the rest do what they wanted or he'd be painting a bigger target on his back.

Plus, there was another piece that made its way into the board. The new doctor, Haruno Sakura. He still hadn't figured out why she was here. Her research was mainly about groundbreaking surgical treatments and Loveland was not known for being particularly advanced in that area. Also, her curiosity about Space Folding and other supernatural happenings was hitting far too close to home. It was easier to mislead people who want simple, concise answers to appease their fear about the things they couldn't understand. But every answer he gave just seemed to make the doctor ask more questions and dig deeper.

It also didn't help that she was far too intelligent for her own good. The conversations (or debates) they've had were interesting, or dare he say it, enjoyable. It was far too rare for him to have someone to discuss topics that combine knowledge of different fields and even rarer still for that person to have the understanding and courage to refute some of his theories.

He'd even found himself postponing some of the meetings with Youran for research to continue the intellectual battle whenever he got stumped by a certain rebuttal. This rekindled love of learning, of making breakthrough discoveries, when did he lose it? The violets of his eyes dimmed at the faded memory of his parents, of the floor-to-ceiling libraries with a soft rug in front of the fireplace, thumbing the leather spines stacked on shelves, marveling at the world of information at his fingertips, and the cozy atmosphere as his parents chuckled lightly at every tiny fact that incited wonder in him.

He only allowed himself a fraction of time to wallow in his past, before locking away the remnants of his emotions. What happened happened, better to look forward than lose yourself in things that you can never change.

* * *

Sakura's head lifted from the desk at the pulse of energies in the air. Something was happening. And she needed to get there fast.

She locked the door to her office and quickly took off her lab coat, leaving her in her usual ninja attire. It was eye catching, causing a lot of people to question her professionalism, but for times like these, it was worth all that trouble.

She unlatched one of the windows and crawled out, leaving the clone to close it from the inside. Wouldn't do to have anyone suspicious of why a window so high up would be left open.

Casting a layer of genjutsu over her person, she darted across rooftops to make her way towards the source she sensed, landing quietly in the bushes out of sight.

Genjutsu dispelled, she lied in wait as the pulses of power in the dark building slowly moved closer to the doorway she was keeping her eye on. 

Then the steel door opened and two people rushed out. Youran?! What was she doing there? And that man with her, must be a businessman of some sort. At least, he was sharply dressed, even if whatever ordeal made him look disheveled.

Just then, a man in a black trenchcoat blasted a fireball at them, which took up all of Sakura's attention. That was it! That fireball, it had the feeling of the energy she'd been sensing these few months.

But there was no time to react as immediately after, another man stepped forward and they both rained attacks at Youran and her companion. She watched in horror, halfway through pushing chakra to her legs in an attempt to jump forward and help, when Youran took that attack meant for the man, the blast of fire hitting her straight at the back. 

The fire was small, it shouldn't have done much damage, but she could sense it. Youran’s body did not react like others in this world. Something within her absorbed the fire, her veins would be _burning_ at that state. It seemed that the young producer wasn't equipped to handle it too as she immediately lost consciousness after, leaving the man she was with to pull her body into his arms.

The two antagonists didn't care as they continued their attacks. No one but her seemed to notice the atmosphere also sizzle with power, the surroundings almost felt electric. Then the portals started appearing, one after another as they ate up the fires and started whirling as the two attackers were pulled into the black holes before blinking out of existence. The only people left on the scene was the man carefully cradling Youran like a precious treasure.

Sakura discretely followed them as he left the premises, hoping they'd go someplace where she could subtly pump her healing chakra into Youran to ease the pain she must be going through. But she had no luck, it seems the man was some big shot as he entered a luxurious car and drove off to the direction of Loveland Hospital.

* * *

Black heels clacker against white tiles as the doctor made her way to the patient's room, ignoring the glance of a well-dressed black haired man walking past her while talking on his phone.

A hand rapped three times on the door before clean, manicured fingers grasped the doorknob and twisted it open, pushing the door as the doctor entered, her other hand holding onto a clipboard with the patient's details.

Said patient was sitting up on the bed, engrossed in her phone’s messages. Sakura quietly observed the room. A private, deluxe suite. One with enough space for another person to keep the patient company. 

She cleared her throat when it seemed that Youran wouldn't notice her anytime soon. And held back a giggle as the girl nearly jumped off the bed and hand to fumble with the phone that almost fell to the floor.

“Doctor Sakura!” Youran’s brown eyes brightened with recognition when she finally saw her pink-haired visitor. “I didn't know you worked in this hospital.”

“I provide some assistance here and there in between my research.” Sakura waved off the question while flipping through the papers. “I'm more surprised to see you here. I never took you for a risk taker. Considering they had to keep you here for _two weeks_.”

“Oh, umm….it was an accident?” Youran tried to play off the incident, not sure how much the doctor knew about the entire Evolver / Black Swan fiasco. “And the injury wasn't that bad, they just had to keep me here to do more tests.”

Sakura hummed, letting the girl squirm for a bit before letting it go. She had already come in two weeks ago to do a full body scan right after she was admitted and it did seem that Youran’s body _did_ recover fast, all she had left were slight burn marks on her back, with zero sign of the weird energy she absorbed.

“Would you be averse to some company? You're the last person in my rounds so we can catch up for a bit.” She placed the clipboard on the desk beside the computers and laid a hand on the back of the chair.

“PLEASE!” Youran was almost desperate for anyone to talk to. Two weeks with just a silent Victor and a few visits from Kiki and Anna was about to drive her mad.

The doctor let out a chuckle before pulling the chair to her bedside, the two women going on a conversation about either of their work and hobbies.

Half an hour had passed when the topic went back to the TV production and the guests that have starred in the different episodes.

“I'm surprised at the amount of different content Miracle Finder spotlights. Initially, I thought it made the entire show wishy-washy, but the subjects you choose to tackle are fascinating that I watched almost every one. I didn't realize these types of variety shows could hold so much depth.”

“Thank you! The team and I always try to get fresh perspectives on different walks of life. There's so many stories around us that's just waiting to be told.”

“Of course it helps if you're being taught those stories by good looking young men, right?” 

“Righ- _Sakura!_ ” Youran tried to add indignation to her voice but she couldn't help the snort that came out her mouth at the insinuation. Because it was true? Lucien, Gavin, and Kiro provided a lot of insight on their respective fields, but it didn't escape her notice that more than half the comments they got on social media was about their looks rather than their commentary.

“Okay, okay, I'll stop. But..” Sakura leaned in as though to share a secret, igniting the curiosity in the producer as she closed the gap to hear, “Who _would_ you choose?”

Youran reared back, her face going through different shades of red as the doctor let out peals of laughter at the reaction, one hand wiping off the tear that formed at the corner of her eye.

“You've been talking to Kiki and Willow, haven't you?!” 

“Of course!” She chortled, not at all affected by the accusation, “Considering that each one of your colleagues has a ship of choice, it's only fair for me to get the details from you. I'll share my bet winnings if you give me a hint.”

“There's a _bet_?!”

“Yup. And you'd make me _and_ my wallet very happy if you chose Lucien.”

“... Why Lucien?”

“Because Minor is passionately 100 percent sure of Gavin and Willow manage to somehow convince Kiki to put in some of her budgeted Kiro merch money into the pot.”

Youran didn't know what to say. She was just aghast at the lengths her team would go. Yes, she knew they were sort of backing certain people and joking with her about them. But a bet?! And considering she herself didn't know who she would even _choose_. It's not like she was dating any of those guys.

“...And Victor?” She broached, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer or not.

“Anna put a tiny amount in but I figured the chances were low so i settled for Lucien.” The peace sign combined with the carefree grin was infectious, causing Youran’s lips to twitch up in response.

“I'm almost tempted to just let my team duke it out amongst themselves and go with whoever wins, at least that will take it off my hands.” She joked.

“Hey! That's a good one. But not your team. Get the guys all together in a show and let them fight for your hand.” Sakura followed the train of thought, creating fictional narratives like these were always a riot. “And then, do a twist at the end where you rake in all the earnings and fly off to a distant island, leaving all the chaos behind.”

The producer let out a continuous stream of laughter, clutching her stomach at the imagined reactions of the four men in her life being left high and dry. This was fun. To be able to joke around without a care in the world, no deadlines or plans. Their respective fields were in opposite spectrums of each other so there was no expectation on how to act. 

When the laughter tricked off and they both managed to get time to breathe, Youran decided to bring up a point that had been niggling at her mind the past few months.

“To be honest, I thought you were interested in Lucien.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Sakura was genuinely curious. She couldn't recall any moment that could be misconstrued as them having any sort of affection for each other. Maybe there was a cultural difference at play here?

“Hmm…” Youran paused as she brought up past interactions that she witnessed. “There has been quite a few times when the two of you were quite passionately discussing different topics, even during some shoot preparations with the filming crew. And some people had commented that both of you seem to have your own world when that happens. Though that may also be because half of what you guys discussed often just go over our heads.”

“Yeah, he _is_ quite well versed in so many areas. I haven't had discourse with people in the same field before, most of my friends have different focus areas so being able to run through some of my more crazy theories with someone without having to explain things is refreshing. But that's basically where our association ends. Also, having someone not be judgemental about the way I look is a plus.” Sakura added the last part as an afterthought. But it was true. The amount of times she's been waved off simply by the way she looked was infuriating.

“The way you look?”

“Well...this.” A tug on her pink hair and pointing to her eyes. “People see this and assume that I'm either a housewife or someone in the creative field. Not exactly science material.”

“I see.” Youran look down on her twiddling hands, uncomfortable with the current direction of the discussion. Discrimination was always a hard subject to tackle. She was lucky, Anna had paved the way for her to take over her father's company and everyone under her knew about her academic accomplishments before she even graduated.

“So it was a surprise to see Lucien not pay it any mind. He didn't even once look at the color.” Sakura charged onward, wanting to dig and see if she could coax any reaction from the younger girl to untangle the mysterious professor.

“Not once?” The producer looked up in surprise. Lucien was always a gentleman, of course. But _pink_ hair was unheard of! And with green eyes too. Even if he didn’t comment on it, his eyes should have at least been drawn to the unusual palette.

“Nope. I was going on the theory that he may be colorblind, but he wasn't displaying any of the usual symptoms. So my new hypothesis is just that he's good at hiding his emotions.”

“Well, he is good at that.” Youran admitted, remembering all the times when she thought she'd seen something under that smiling mask, before he'd slam it back on and distance himself.

“Sorry. I must have brought up some unpleasant memories.” Sakura stood up when she saw Youran start becoming more melancholy, brushing past the other's insistence that everything was fine. “I shouldn't bother you any longer so you can get some rest.”

“Anyway,” Sakura marched over to the medical clipboard, “Based on this, you should have been good to go a week ago. If you really want to leave, just tell them to contact me and I can have them fast track the discharge paperwork. You can also call me if you need some help in shouting at your asshole of a boss. That's one of my specialties.”

Before she left though, she fingered the roses on the vase, channeling as much chakra as she can into each individual petal. It should provide some healing energy in the room and allow Youran to sleep more peacefully. Living things were often able to retain chakra longer than inanimate objects.

With a smile and a wave, she left the patient to rest in the room.

* * *

Lucien had decided to visit Youran at the hospital. It seemed that Victor was planning on keeping her under lock and key for as long as he was able to. Considering that his company half funded the hospital, the girl wouldn't be able to leave any time soon.

He brought along some bell flowers that just grew in his balcony. The seller had touted the pure blue tint that would grow from the seed so he'd have to take their word for it. After all, the only thing he could see was the formation of the petals.

That was why he was rooted on the spot when he entered the room. On the center table was a case of roses, their red and green hue a beacon in an otherwise grey backdrop.

Youran had to repeat his name three times before he finally snapped out of it. The concern in her brown eyes filling him with warmth. He offered her the flowers that he brought with him, relieved at the predictable gratefulness in her tone. With that, he could pull out the roses and replace them with bell flowers, his hands careful in making sure not to damage the fragile petals.

When his fingertips touched the crimson petals, he could feel the power pulsing through the plant. It was similar to when Youran accessed the Queen's dormant strength, but at the same time different. Was this her doing? Was her colors starting to spread?

He was so intrigued by this that his stay became far shorter than intended, just a quick conversation to appease her and allay her frustration before she did something she'd regret, like punch her boss, especially after Sakura had told her she could have been out a week ago.

Once he excused himself, he took the bunch of roses with him, leaving just a short message to the CEO when they crossed paths in the hospital hallway.

When he got home, he immediately placed the roses on his living room table, transferring one to a plain water vase to keep it as a control group while he experimented on the rest.

He brought out scissors, tweezers, a pipette, a syringe, and food dye, placing all of them on his work surface.

First test. He took another vase and added blue dye plus water in it, then placed one rose in the vase. That one will need time.

Second test. He plucked off all the petals and snipped the stems into one inch pieces. The red and green color remained. 

Third test. He used the tweezers to pick up a petal, then used the pipette to drip food dye onto the petals. Each drop of the color was a grey tint, even touching the petals did nothing.

Fourth test. He took all the cut petals and placed them in a bowl filled with water and food dye. Another waiting game.

Fifth test. He took the syringe and drew up some dye and then injected it to the stem. Once the injection was done, he snapped the stem. There it was. Blue coloring the veins.

Looking back at the first and fourth experiments, he could see the blue slowly seeping into the edges of the petals.

He slumped back against his chair in relief and wonder. The energy draining from his body at the discovery. He could see colors again. It was possible that whatever it was that allowed him to see Youran could one day make him regain what he had lost. 

He caressed the remaining roses that were unharmed by his experiments, the gentle beat of Youran’s power still lingering in the plants. He could dry them and encase them in resin to keep them from discoloration. 

He stood up and took his keys, leaving his experiments on the desk as he went to the nearest craft store to get some epoxy resin and silicone molds.

However, the moment he came back, the purchases in his arms crashed to the floor. The vase flowers, their colors were dulled, like the life was draining out of them. The ones he'd cut and plucked were now grey. All signs of red and green no longer visible to his gaze.

There was nothing he could do but stare helplessly at the roses, and watch the hues slowly dissipate back to blend with his usual monochrome world.


	3. Green

Victor strode down the hallway towards Youran’s room, eyes stern as he recalled the message Goldman sent him.

_“Youran's been discharged from the hospital. She's heading back home today.”_

The last time he'd spoken with the doctors, they'd agreed to have her stay till the end of this week, which would allow him to tie up the loose ends from that HBS fiasco.

He knew she was getting antsy from being stuck in the hospital, but he thought they'd clarified all that when he took her up to the rooftop last night.

He was still running through the previous conversation when he saw her, leaving her room while chatting with a woman in a lab coat. They seemed to be close, judging by the grin on Youran’s face and the close atmosphere they exuded. He couldn't help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch up at the sight of her so energetic.

They both seemed to notice him at the same time, turning slightly to face him. Youran's expression went from exuberantly cheerful to calm and collected, albeit still friendly. Why did she always feel the need to hide her more lively feelings from him?

He didn't notice that his expression turned into a frown at the thought until Youran was within arm’s reach, her welcoming smile gradually shifting to a concerned look. Before she could open her mouth to ask, he moved a questioning gaze towards the doctor, who didn't seem to have any intention of leaving them at the moment.

She was so much shorter than expected, barely reaching his chin. Not as short as Youran, but that was a given. Her pink - is it dyed? - hair was tied up in a bun and her overall look was professional, aside from the weird sports outfit peeking out from the doctor’s coat. He raised an eyebrow when the doctor simply met his eyes, not at all intimidated by either his stature or his focus.

“Ah, Victor, this is Doctor Haruno Sakura. She's been checking in on me the past few days.” Yours introduced hurriedly when it seemed that neither one of the pair would break the stare-off. “Sakura, this is Li Victor. He's the head of LFG.”

Sakura moved her gaze over to the flustered producer, deciding to give way in the silent battle. She took a step forward and reached a hand out.

“Pleased to meet you. It's nice to finally add the face to the name I've been hearing about lately.” 

A glance at Youran proved that she wasn't the one being referred to, based on her panicking head-shake. Victor took the hand and gave it a perfunctory shake before letting go.

“Thank you for looking out for her. What happened to Dr. Shang? My understanding was that Youran’s discharge wasn't until the end of this week.”

“He had other patients to focus on. I took over this case because it was mainly keeping track of her daily diagnosis. After all, she had already fully recovered more than a week ago.”

The polite smile remained on Sakura’s face, but all three parties knew that she was implying that _someone_ had forced the hospital to keep Youran in when she should have been discharged a long time ago.

Victor’s face remained stony and, when it seemed that she wasn’t going to get any reaction, Sakura turned to Youran to give her some parting words.

“I’ll see you next week, Youran. Remember what I said, I wouldn’t want to see you back here just because you decide to jump headfirst into danger.”

While the brown-haired girl waved her hands and tried reassuring the doctor that she wasn’t _that_ reckless, Victor stilled. No one knew about the reason Youran was hospitalised. The reasons marked on her file should have been ‘overwork’ or ‘stress’.

The CEO narrowed his eyes at the doctor's back when she walked away from them. Is she…?

When Sakura was halfway across the hall, Victor activated his Evol. His suspicions were verified when she didn't stop in place but took two steps before he restored time. Another Evol. What was her connection to Black Swan? Is she in league with that scientist?

“Victor…?” Youran’s muffled whisper caught his attention and the worried look on her face kept it focused on her. “Does Sakura…?”

“Most likely.” Victor was never one to mince words. “It's possible that she's also not aware of it. Not all evols are as obvious as mine or those of Black Swan. Some have easily ignorable powers so they never realise that they're different.”

He bit off the slight upturn of his lips, but could not truly hide the tenderness in his eyes, as the tension eased from her shoulders, her relief so palpable. 

It would do no good for her to worry about things that can't be changed. In the meantime, he'll get Goldman to dig as much information as he can about this new person entering Youran’s circle.

* * *

“What do you mean ‘Stop the Reset Plan’?!” Hades slammed his hands on the table, rattling the items that littered the white surface, his voice echoing in the dark chamber, accompanied by the _bang_ of his chair as it's back hit the floor. “Just because your methods are not showing any results doesn't mean we all have to stop and wait for you.”

Lucien simply sat back and returned the angry glare with a nonchalant look. This was why meetings with the other members were so _tedious_. The amount of explaining he had to do just to get people to grasp the most basics of scientific understanding...

“I said ‘delay the Reset Plan’, not stop.” He clarified calmly, uncaring that his matter-of-fact tone only served to incense his more volatile colleague. “There’s new factors we now need to take into consideration before unleashing the virus.”

“Maybe you should have led with that instead of waiting for this oaf to turn us all deaf.” A measured tone broke the stalemate and stole the attention of the room. The woman sat primly, her hands held together on the table, with one red fingernail tapping lightly. Hades was about to make a retort, but a steely glare from the brown haired woman beside her looking up from her phone stopped the words from coming out of his mouth.

“Tch.” Hades nudged his chair back up and plonked back down. Those two always backed each other when it came to any disagreements, which means picking a fight with one meant fighting with both of them.

“As Athena mentioned,” She used her phone to gesture to the woman on her right, the illumination from the device sending a beacon to her seatmate, casting an intimidating shadow of coifed blood red hair, venomous green eyes, and a scar ran a jagged line down one cheek. “Stop dawdling and give us the reason so we can decide. Some of us have actual responsibilities to get back to.”

With that said, she went back to tapping on her phone. Her decision would be tied to Athena anyway so there was no need to waste time on this drivel.

Ares went on to explain the events that happened during the forced Queen awakenings, how Evols in the area had their powers mutate and become uncontrollable.

“Based on these events, any action that causes the Queen to awaken prematurely would cause unknown backlash on those with existing Evols.”

“And you're quite sure about this?” A soft, muted voice came from his right.

“Nothing is confirmed, of course. But this has happened twice, both times when Black Swan aimed to have the Queen forcibly awaken. Until we know more about this mutation, plans that would adversely affect Evols would need to be properly tested before being executed.”

“Does that mean you'll also stop with your own plans?” Hades commented snidely. When Ares didn't respond, he continued. “Well, it seems that you just want us to stop so you can do whatever the hell you want.”

“My method of slowly recovering her memories have not shown any detrimental effect on my own Evol.” Ares pointedly didn't bring up the fact that Youran seemed to have taken control of the dream halfway through. “If an unobtrusive tactic is used, it seems that the Queen's power is more receptive to it. This is why I only brought up delaying the virus.”

Besides, he had counter solutions for all the other ideas the rest of the members were planning on doing, Plus, a few more months and he'd have the antibodies for the virus ready. He just needed the rest of the collective to gatekeep trigger-happy Hades for a while.

“Well, if that's the only issue then I have no problem with it.” A boisterous voice boomed, his tone halfway to laughing. “After all, the Reset Plan wasn't all that impressive anyway.”

Hades stood up again to verbally spar with the man who just chuckled and deflected every sentence with a comeback of his own. And the round table participants devolved into some who were watching the fight like it was a drama, most who sighed and turned away, and others who never cared about the entire meeting just continued on what they were doing on their phones or computers.

Ares was about to stand up and leave when a ring rapped on the table, the metal tone reverberating across the room. The shift in atmosphere was immediate. The bickering stopped and almost everyone gave the shadowed person their full attention considering how rare he made himself known.

“The Reset Plan will be put on hold. However, other setups that are not considered ‘obtrusive’ remain as is.” The deep voice brooked no argument. “Hermes will leave a list of all the arrangements to your mode of contact. Ares, expect to provide a _detailed_ definition of what you mean by 'unobstrusive’ and ‘uncontrollable’. We won't be waiting for you to approve or veto every step we take.”

With those marching orders, the man’s shadow melted off, leaving just an empty seat behind. Once he disappeared, the rest of the collective took that as a signal to go back to their own lives, with one person grumbling at the additional work he'd been given to collate all the information.

* * *

The filming had just wrapped up for the day and the rest of the crew had gone home. With the success of another episode, Youran invited her team along with Sakura and Lucien, who

were guests on today's show, for a short snack break.

They went to the nearby park and the two scientists plus the producer found a place at the seating area while the others went in line to buy food.

While waiting, the three were chatting about mundane things until Lucien felt a tug on his coat. When he turned around and looked down, he saw a brown-haired pigtailed girl looking up at him, her face set on a wide grin.

"Professor Lucien!" The child's amber eyes twinkled in excitement, "I knew it was you!"

Lucien crouched down and greeted the girl, asking what she was doing in the park.

"Teacher took us here for a treat. They went to get ice cream and then I saw you."

It was then that she noticed the two women that were with her favorite Professor. The TV lady that visits from time to time and...

"Is your hair real?" she blurted out, staring at the soft pink hue. "It looks like a flower."

"Yes, it's real." Sakura shared a laughing look with Youran before lowering herself beside Lucien, her eyes softening at the awe in the girl's voice.

She leaned closer to let the child touch her hair as proof, green eyes dancing at the whispered "so soft". When the girl moved to touch her own hair in companion, Sakura mentioned that she liked brown hair more.

"Really?" a dubious look flashed on her face. "But everyone has this color. Yours makes you look like those flowers that grow when the leaves turn green, like your eyes."

"Well, the color you have reminds me of chocolate. And I like chocolate a lot more than flowers."

While Sakura was busy entertaining their erstwhile guest, only Youran noticed that Lucien went silent, his countenance turning serious. She moved forward and gave his shoulder a light tap, mouthing an 'Are you okay?' when he turned to face her.

The scientist rose up and plastered on his usual smile, reassuring the young woman that he just remembered something. All the while, his mind was whirling, remembering when they met and Youran focused on her hair. There was something about the doctor. Something unique about her hair color that caused everyone to comment on it. Everyone except him. And he was sure she noticed. It didn't escape him that from time to time, Sakura would level him with an inquiring gaze, as though trying to figure him out.

He dimly heard Sakura promising the child that she would join Lucien and Youran when they next went to visit before a frantic voice reached their ears.

"Sarah?! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

A tall, pale woman rushed towards them, strands of her black hair pulling out from her high bun. It looked close to unravelling, just like its owner.

"Teacher. I found Professor Lucien!" The child exclaimed, pointing to the taller man who gave a short wave. She looked proud, as though expecting to be praised. Instead, her teacher started lecturing her on not leaving the group without permission and how she shouldn't be bothering other people when they're out with friends. Underneath her stern tone, however, the adults could see how her shoulders slumped and the comer of her eyes almost tear up in relief.

Chastised, the little girl went to her teacher when gestured and kept her head down while the older lady bowed and offered her thanks and apologies to the group, which they waved off. The two then went back to the rest of the waiting children after Sarah made sure to remind Sakura about her promise to visit.

By the time the group was out of sight, Willow and Minor finally arrived with cups of milk tea followed shortly by Anna and Kiki with piping hot chicken pops, and the conversation moved back to the show and what potential future episodes they have lined up, with Lucien and Sakura only providing input when scientific topics were brought up.

Once the short break was over, the two scientists made their way back to the University white the rest went back to putting together the final touches on the show.

The walk back was filled with silence. Lucien was never one to initiate conversation and Sakura didn't really have any idea of what topic would interest her companion that wouldn't just devolve into a debate. Plus, there was something she was curious about...

With that thought, she pulled out her smartphone, making sure that the chakra-filled charm made a clear jingling sound, keeping an eye on her companion all the while. Her hypothesis was answered when his lavender eyes darkened to almost silver as he focused on the green leaf dangling on the chain, his form freezing halfway from opening the university building door. It seems that he could see chakra. His previous attention on her calling card was not a coincidence. So was the story that Youran told her about Lucien taking away the roses that she had filled with her chakra.

He did recover quickly, catching himself after a split second before continuing their walk down the hallway to the stairs. But they both knew Sakura noticed him falter and the entire atmosphere was ripe with tension.

"Don't hide whatever this is from Youran." Sakura broke the stalemate and stopped walking when they were at one platform away from their respective offices. Lucien moved to look at her, his form half covered in shadow while Sakura's features were illuminated by the sunlight coming from the windows.

Whatever Lucien wanted to initially say was caught in his throat at the fierce glare in her eyes, almost willing him to see things from her point of view. He'd never had anyone look at him that way, the desperation around her almost colouring their surroundings even for his compromised sight.

"I have never lied to her." This was the only thing he could offer, holding her gaze to show his sincerity.

"Sometimes half truths hurt more than lies. The reassurance it provides is momentary and only for you because those who care about you will remember how you never corrected their assumptions."

Sakura couldn't maintain eye contact, her head shifting to the side as she could feel her eyes string, trying to hold the memories at bay. Sasuke never really lied to them, he just never thought she was worth the time to explain to. Kakashi used distractions and wordplay to deflect any of the team's attempts to get to know him. Even she wasn't guilt-free in this, trying to convince Naruto of her love to stop him from chasing their teammate, knowing it wasn't the same type of love that he wanted from her. A huff of air escaped from her lips in a deprecating laugh. How ironic that the only person in their team that was fully honest was the one least equipped to deal with emotions.

Lucien watched as the light moved along with the change of emotions in Sakura's face while she was lost in the sea of thoughts, her expressions playing out like those noir films he found so interesting for their clear and yet subtle meaning without depending on color.

Sakura seemed to finally muster her composure and locked her eyes back up to the taller man, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"We're not really close enough for me to demand answers and, to be honest, your secrets are your own. But, just a word of advice, don't play with the heart of a person who's made a decision to care for your well being."

She then walked past him and started up the stairs, only turning around when Lucien threw out a comment.

"You also seem to care a lot about her considering you've only met for less than a year."

The serious tone made Sakura regard him with probing eyes. In her new spot above him, the blend of shadow and sunlight on his form gave off an authoritative and intimidating air. She realized then that this in front of her, this might be the _real_ Lucien. She wondered if the sweet producer had ever seen this side of him. But Sakura was made of stronger stuff. She'd grown up facing death head on and no threat in this world could compare to the looming terror and helplessness Kaguya induced with her presence alone.

"I grew to care about the person who has shown me nothing but kindness from the moment we met and was even thoughtful enough to gift me a meaningful charm when she didn't have to or could have simply gotten a generic one.." She then responded to his words with a threatening one, her glare like knives locked at her target. "Don't break her or you'll have me to answer to."

Point made, she left him standing there and made her way to her office, the sound of heels clacking on the tiled floors echoing in the hallway.

By the time Lucien closed the door to his office, the mysteries were already piling up on his mind. Brushing aside the threat was easy. Most people were more bluster than bite. What captured his attention more was the other details. Presuming that the leaf chain was from Youran, it means that her power may have grown such that the color did not fade away, unlike the situation with the roses. 

As he mulled it over, he found his thoughts drifting towards the scene with the young doctor. Very few people, outside of the Black Swan collective, didn't flinch away from him when he allowed Ares to show. But she not only faced him head on, but also had the strength and will to threaten him in return.

That entire episode where he managed to see a hint of her inner turmoil and watch her turn it into a fire whose intensity made even him pause only drove him to find out more about her. He could only imagine what it would be like to see the resulting performance if he could get past that wall she used to keep others out.


	4. Pink

Lucien walked down the hallway of the University, his mind preoccupied by his visit to the orphanage.

* * *

He lightly tapped on the door and slid it open upon hearing the teacher answer the knock. The gentle look on his face disappeared in a wince as his senses were inundated by colors.

He was so used to the world being greyscale that the sudden presence of colors dotting his vision was similar to the white-outs he experienced when moving from dark to bright areas. 

The students had seen him flinch and wipe at his eyes so some of the more curious ones had left their seats to crowd around him, asking if he was all right.

He quickly allayed their concerns and placed a reassuring smile on his face, directing them back to their seats so he could start the class. 

He was distracted and the children knew it. As the lecture went on, he was unable to keep his gaze from jumping to one colored item and the next. A purple hair tie, a blue pin, a yellow watch. It seemed that each child had at least one item that shone in color. 

Once the lesson finished, a few of the more outgoing children came over, young Sarah leading the charge.

“Professor! Professor! Are you okay?”

The corners of his mouth gave a slight upturn as his hand moved to give her a gentle pat, his fingers brushing against the rose-colored hair ribbon. It was smooth, made of high quality silk. Not one often provided by the orphanage.

He complimented her new hair style, getting the beam and then the origins of the gift he expected. Innocent children were typically oversharers and this particular school had a reputation for taking great care of their children, allowing them to grow without the instinctive distrust against adults.

Sarah opened her mouth to start the story, but a boy with a bowl cut hair and sharp eyes pushed forward his blue wristband in front of the Professor's face.

“Doctor Haruno came to visit last week like she promised. She and that TV lady brought gifts for everyone!” 

“The TV lady is Miss Youran! You should call people by their names!” One of the other children interjected.

“Yeah! Calling her ‘TV Lady’ is rude!” Sarah jumped in immediately, irritated at the boy's taking over her answer.

Lucien gently broke up the argument that was about to start and pointedly made comments and questions about Youran and Sakura's visit, all the while taking note of the different coloured artifacts in his view.

They were all of similar quality as the ribbon, items made of high grade cotton or silk, pins that had tiny studded gems, a flower broach that was made of quality lace, even a headband that had hand-sewed patterns. Even more interesting was that the quality was not easily discernible. To the untrained eye, it would seem that the trinkets were basic flea market crafts, it's true value only visible to those who cared enough to look closely.

While he was busy inspecting the gifts, the children were all enthusiastically weaving a tale of the previous visit. How the two women, along with their teacher, took them to the play area near the school and turned the recess into an impromptu science lesson about first aid, complete with video recording to simulate a reality TV show. It seemed that the short excursion had started a debate in some of the students on whether growing up to be a doctor or a TV producer is a better choice.

When asked about the better option, Lucien simply replied that both paths were equally valid and what was important was the passion and skill they would bring to their field of choice, causing the kids to whine at him for not choosing a side. As he was placating some of them, a few at the back were whispering to each other before they came forward.

One of the girls, wearing midnight blue hair ties in pigtails, pulled out two ribbons and asked him to choose. He could feel all eyes on him as he contemplated the choices, one amber and the other a soft pink. The amber reminded him so much about Youran's soft eyes and silky hair that he had reached out to it before a memory hit him like a truck.

_ "In the spring, papa and I will take you to Japan so we can show you where we met. It was so beautiful, the entire place looked like it was raining pink petals." _

Of course, the trip never came to pass. That was the night where his world changed forever. But the recollection of his mother's words and the tender look his parents shared on their walk home made him select the pink ribbon, prompting the children to explode in chatters at the action.

"Professor should have picked the brown one!" One of them loudly complained to him. "I thought you liked Ms. Youran  _ more _ ."

“See! I told you it was Ms. Sakura!” Another one cheered. “Even Ms. Youran said that they worked at the same place.”

“Well, maybe he just liked that color!” A pouting voice protested, “It doesn’t  _ mean _ anything!”

“Of course he’d like the color! It’s the color of Ms. Sakura’s  _ hair _ !”

They went on arguing about his decision, not noticing the revelation their temporary instructor was going through.  _ Pink!  _ This was why Sakura was suspicious and even Youran sent him curious looks every now and then. It was a very eye-catching color. Even those who dye their hair rarely went with such an unconventional shade, especially those who work in the medical field.

He wasn’t given any time to continue processing this since the children packed around him demanding clarifications. He gave them simple explanations, neither confirming or denying their assumptions, dodging any pointed questions until their teacher came back and took charge of the class.

* * *

He was still reviewing all the interactions he’d had with the young doctor, his hand playing with the ribbon in his pocket, when a colleague stopped him for a short chat. It was one of his associates in the neurology department, the one who was researching slip disc surgery.  They spoke for a bit about his paper that was recently published in the University's medical journal and how it springboard a round of discussions on potential applications. Apparently, Sakura had used it as a final nail in the proverbial coffin of the debate she'd been having with the senior staff for  _ months _ .

Before they parted ways, a delivery girl asked them for directions to Sakura's office, holding a thick envelope that was requested by the doctor. Lucien had volunteered to bring it up since his office was just a few rooms away, cordially waving behind his colleague and the beleaguered delivery girl.

He examined the document cover. There wasn't really anything strange about it aside from the fact that most scientists nowadays preferred using digital files rather than printing and lugging sheets of papers back and forth, until he saw the postage.

_ Loveland Central Hospital Archives.  _

_ Private and Confidential. _

Loveland Central Hospital was a well-known hospital for being the most technologically advanced hospital in the entire city. But that also meant that they only take the most dire of cases. To his knowledge (and from his connection to the president), the entire hospital had fully moved over to digital paperwork 5 years ago. A few of their associates in Black Swan had to come assist in removal of some of the more questionable documents. The only things left in the archives should be basic patient information.

What was a surgeon focusing on neurology and critical care going to be doing with that information?

It was with this speculation that he knocked on her office door. There wasn't any response but the slider marked that she was in. So he twisted the knob to check and pushed the door open when it gave way.

The room was quite a dichotomy, the visitation area with a small side table, three sofa chairs, a potted plant, and even a water cooler atop a mini-fridge were pristine and well-kept. Right beside the chairs was a floor to ceiling bookshelf with some order he could not decipher with one look, filled with children's books, fiction paperbacks, magazines, and then medical journals all the way at the top. Curious how they're so high up considering Sakura herself wasn't that tall. All these faced a black whiteboard littered with coloured markers magnetically attached at different sections, which gives an expectation to what the rest of the room would be like because this was where the neat part of the office ended.

Past the welcoming area was what one could only affectionately call “organized chaos”. How the young woman managed to get an entire lab workstation to fit in her small space would probably be an unsolved mystery by itself. The fact that she had another moderately sized desk made the already cramped space seem even smaller. And the two table tops were cluttered with books, folders, loose papers, and he even spied a few scrolls buried under the mounds of paperwork.

And right in the middle of the desk, peeking out from the pile of documents, was a bundle of hair, tied up in a bun. Now that he was looking clearly, the strands of hair did have a slight reflecting shade from the sunlight streaming from the window, compared to the blending effect that blonde hair usually had.

He took a step into the room, the action seemingly startling the room's occupant into waking up. The abrupt action made the papers jostle and looked about to fall over, but it managed to balance itself, much to the relief of both scientists. The hardbound book at the edge of the desk was not so lucky, hitting the floor spine first with a loud bang, its flaps flopping open on the tiled floor.

Their eyes met, Sakura’s embarrassed expression meeting his amused one as he gently closed the door behind him. He strode forward to pass the envelope to her outstretched hand when she stood from behind the desk. While she looked for an empty spot to place yet  _ another  _ set of documents, Lucien knelt down to pick up the book.

It was well-maintained, the glossy hardback smooth against his hands. But it was the front of the book that gave him pause, the words hitting him like a bolt of lightning.

_ Atlas of the Spine: Surgery and Healing by Xu Ru _

His father’s unpublished journal. One of the possessions he was unable to find. Why is it here? Hearing the clicking of heels, he stood up from the floor, his hand holding the hardback reverently. His grip tightened before letting go when the young woman took the book from his hands with a mumbled thanks, peering up at him in bemusement at his uncharacteristic silence.

“Where did you get that copy?” He finally asked while she went to place the book back up on the shelf, shoving his hands into the lab coat to keep himself from reaching to grab the tome.

Sakura turned, wondering at the sudden question levied on her. Of all the questions, she didn’t think he would be that interested in spinal injuries.

“It was from an auction that I attended back when I was in university.” There was nothing incriminating about her history on gaining ownership of that book. “No one wanted to buy it because they didn’t know the author. Xu Ru was mainly known in surgical circles at the time.”

She got a hmm in response, but he still didn’t take his gaze away from the shelf.

“Do you need to borrow it? I didn’t realise you were familiar with his work.” Sakura broached when the silence went on a bit too long and the other person didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave her office.

“Maybe in the future.” Lucien finally turned to her, his eyes running through her face like she was a mystery he was trying to unravel. “It’s not directly related to my research, but I do have some of his books. His works sometimes have important details that have neurological impact so having that point of reference is always better.”

“Ah, then maybe I’ll trade you that book for one of your own. His journals, and those of his wife’s, are quite hard to come by.” She turned away from him to gaze back up at the book. ”It’s a pity what happened, I could only imagine the breakthroughs that would have been made if the accident didn’t happen. An entire family, gone in an instant.”

Lucien’s face tightened at the rambling. Walking down memory lane was never a good thing for him. Thankfully, he was saved from having to respond when a slight growling noise filled the room, the origin coming from the other occupant’s stomach.

He gave a slight huff of laughter at the bashful aura she exuded before offering to take her for lunch since he also hadn’t eaten yet. It seemed she had more secrets than he expected and he wasn’t going to waste this opportunity to dig a little bit more into this. It should be easy enough to move the conversation away from his family once they leave the university grounds.

* * *

Hook. Line. And Sinker. She knew being able to control bodily reactions using chakra would come in handy one day.

Sakura cautiously accepted the lunch invitation, making sure not to look too enthusiastic at the offer, considering their last stand-off. It wouldn’t do to make him any more suspicious of her.

Being here for almost a year gave her a little bit of insight to the workings of the university. One of them being that Lucien was quite well known for his singular focus on anything he took interest in, to an almost extreme level. Which was good when it came to scientific research and monotonous lab work, not so much when she had her own set of secrets to hide.

But there was something weird going on at Loveland Central Hospital and she had overheard that Lucien was well acquainted with the head of the hospital. She wasn’t about to ignore the most obvious resource right in front of her, especially since the Xu family seemed to be a good topic to use if she ever wanted an out to the conversation. No matter how much the intensity in his gaze a while ago unnerved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is _lunch_.
> 
> What will they talk about? Will either of them learn anything new?  
> But most importantly, Is this considered a date?  
> Lucien and Sakara says no, but I say YES.


	5. Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lunch date (or is it?) reveals far more than both of them are comfortable with.

The walk from Sakura’s office slash lab to the exit of the University was enlightening, to say the least. With most of the people coming back from their lunch break, the 10 minute walk dragged to almost 30 minutes with the amount of people who stopped them for a chat. More specifically, they stopped to chat with the cheerful doctor than the genial scientist.

Although everyone they walked past gave a wave and a greeting to Lucien, Sakura noticed that they never went past pleasantries. At the same time, Lucien wondered how she could have so many discussions with the different staff in the building. Dr. Zhang’s child's education, Ms. Lee’s upcoming move, and even the security guard’s recent schedule change.

Once outside the University grounds, they took a left turn towards the nearest mall. The air between them was strange, both awkward and yet not. The typical atmosphere of those comfortable enough to have a small chat but not close enough to be called friends. And with Lucien's indifferent personality and Sakura's well-trained ability to blatantly ignore moments like these, this continued on for 2 blocks.

Until a glance to her right made her focus on his gait. Relaxed but closed, his expression pleasant but detached. And it reminded her so much of Kakashi that she decided to take the exact same action whenever confronted with her teacher's techniques of pushing people away - break the wall through sheer force of will.

At the next corner, she tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards the cluster of houses, near the old market stalls.

“I know a place. It has good food and is also not as crowded as the mall.” 

A slight nod from her companion prompted her to take the turn and weave through the crowd, while other pedestrians just naturally walked around Lucien when he followed. It was an interesting sight, likely due to a combination of his height and the confident yet distant and uncaring aura he let off.

A few streets and sidewalks later found them at a rather quiet area of the city, with only a handful of folks strolling by. Lucien gave a side-eye to the shorter woman, noting that she was getting more relaxed the further they walked into the more residential part of the district. It seemed that she was a pseudo-regular here as well, the residents in the area giving her a cheery wave and greeting every now and then while also giving surreptitiously curious looks at him walking alongside her.

He guessed they had arrived when a tint of gold entered his vision. He paused for half a step before catching himself and continuing on, his eyes firmly on the shining ceramic cat almost beckoning him with it's moving paw. He stopped and waited as Sakura pinged the reception bell and called out an affectionate ‘hello’ past the open doorway. The place didn’t seem like a place that served food, the area past the open doors was more akin to an outdoor living room, with it’s long wooden table and bench plus the porcelain tea set decorating the center, than for anyone to sit down and have a meal.

A few beats passed and a middle-aged woman half-spinted, half-stumbled out from within the house, wiping her hands on the small towel that was hanging from her apron. The frustrated wrinkle of her brow smoothened out when her eyes landed on the young doctor waving at her.

The look she made upon seeing Sakura could only be described as "motherly". He could recall, very faintly, another face, one with long black hair and light violet eyes once looking at him with the same affectionate gaze.

This was why he often made himself scarce in family situations, turning his line of sight to focus on the golden cat instead as his hand clenched into a fist hidden deep in his pocket. There was no point in wishing for things that cannot be changed. Nothing is permanent. As a species, humans need to move forward to evolve.

Never before hand those lines rang so hollow than at this moment, watching Sakura accept a loving embrace from the homeowner. Was she her mother?

“-your boyfriend?”

Lucien glanced back at them, seeing the older woman patting Sakura's shoulder excitedly.

“This is Lucien. He's just a colleague at the University.” She introduced with an expression tinged with exasperation and fondness. Even without colors, he could see how her entire demeanor changed the moment she received the embrace. Sakura had always seemed cheerful and open, but the difference between then and now was startling. He couldn't describe it but she was far softer now, more _Sakura_ , than he'd ever seen her before, as if all the burdens in the world have been lifted off her shoulders.

“And? Why bring a colleague here? Did you stop by before going on a trip?”

“Actually…. we're here for lunch. If you're still serving it?” The question was punctuated with both a sheepish smile and a brace for the incoming lecture.

“ _Lunch?!_ It's nearly 3! I can't believe you're still not fixing your eating schedule. I've told you time and again that it's not healthy...” The sermon went on as the woman started moving back towards the house, her arm sweeping across to signal them to go in.

Sakura met his amused look with an indulgent one of her own, one shoulder rolling, gesturing to him to follow her to the dining area.

They walked past the wooden table and through the steel netted door into a small back garden with 4 oak tables and chairs, bracketed by wooden panels with different varieties of flowering vines.

He took a seat at the table Sakura selected, the way she almost sprawled onto the chair’s backrest spoke more of habit than intention. He didn’t think anyone knew that Sakura’s family lived in Loveland since she came from Japan. He mentioned as much to her.

“Oh!” She exclaimed with a shake of her head, “No, she’s not family. I met her when I was wandering around the city. We spoke once and she sort of took me in ever since.”

“And is this place…?” The slight tilt of his head as he scanned the alcove gave away his question. Sakura rested her chin against her hand, elbow on the table as she answered.

“Yes, it is a restaurant. Sort of. Ms. Tan usually makes snacks and takeaway boxes but she opens up the back garden during weekdays for lunch. We are _a bit_ later than her usual hours. I thought she’d still be serving her last batch by the time we arrived. I guess most of the customers left early today.”

Lucien hummed in response while Sakura closed her eyes to rest for a bit, both of them in their own world even right across from each other. When she opened it lightly to peer at him, the scene in front of her made her snort, catching his attention.

She waved her hand to brush off the inquisition but the view of Lucien - sitting languidly with the sunlight _somehow_ gently caressing his form turning his dark violet eyes light lavender and surrounded by the immaculate green vines to one side; he looked regal, almost like a forest prince if not for his professional get up - made her remember a past interaction with Ino.

_“I don’t understand! How,_ **_how_** _, can you be so surrounded with hot,_ **_single_ ** _men. Even NARUTO, of all people, grew up to be a hunk. AND YOU NEVER TAPPED ANY OF IT! Seriously, Forehead, do you have a hot-guy magnet or something? ‘Only those above an 8 are allowed to be within 10 feet of me’?”_

Ino would probably be frothing at the mouth if she snapped a photo of Lucien now. Actually.... Sakura took out her mobile phone and took a quick shot, right before his expression changed once he saw her intention.

“Shouldn’t you ask permission first before taking a picture?” There was no indignation, merely curiosity on his face and his tone was slightly teasing as well.

“Candid photos are better than posed ones.” She replied cheekily, typing out a message and then hovering a thumb over the send button, peeking up to meet his gaze. “Would it be alright if I send this over to Youran?”

There was no time outside of the nod that she received when the restaurant owner arrived with their food. Two identical plates filled with steaming rice, breaded pork chops sliced into thick strips, and steamed vegetables. Afterwards, Ms. Tan came back with two bowls of vegetable and corn soup, along with a small basket of condiments and sauce dishes.

Although Sakura protested at the amount of food they were given, the lady just ignored it and criticised Sakura’s eating habits instead, mentioning that a good balance of meat and vegetables are needed for a healthy diet. And no meal is complete without soup so they should just eat up before going back to work.

With her advice given, she then went back inside to clean up while the two scientists were left to eat in relative peace.

Before Lucien could take a bite, Sakura had started with a suggestion to use the red sauce in the basket to add more flavor to the dish, but with a side-eyed smirk that it was strong for people not used to strong spices. She’d already placed the two sauce dishes and heaped a few scoops of the sauce for them before he could respond. The sauce was fairly watery, with specks of what may be minced chilis and shallots swimming in it. Even without the help of his sight, the scent of heat with a slight soury note was so strong that he could feel it at the back of his throat.

Lucien was never really one to give in to taunts, especially one that was as obvious as that. But there really was nothing to lose in giving in to it, since he could barely taste anything. At most the sauce would give him a slight numbing sensation that would go away in a few minutes. So he dipped one slice of pork and then took a bite.

The explosion of flavor in his mouth made him pause. Although his usual meals were centered around the more subtle flavors of Southern Chinese cuisine, he did sometimes try strongly spiced foods from Szechuan and Xinjiang before in an attempt to find foods that could still taste palatable to his desensitised tongue. But all his explorations were fairly disappointing, only having the taste of chili and feeling the lingering spices without being able to savor the meats and vegetables the sauce was supposed to enhance.

This one though, it was spicy yes, and quite sour too. But the way the conflicting flavors complimented the meat made him get a slight hint of pork taste when he chewed in between bites. 

His astonished reaction must have been obvious as a gloating expression flitted over Sakura’s face before melding towards a humorless smile.

“Ms. Tan spent a few years around Southeast Asia and incorporates all those flavors in her food. The pork is actually already flavored. Adding the sauce tends to be too much for most palettes, but I thought it would be right up your alley.”

“...how did you know?” He managed to conceal his current state to everyone in his immediate vicinity by controlling body and facial reactions to match the given mood. Even Youran, who he actively spends time with, is unaware of this impairment. 

“During the last university gathering, you were one of the few who accepted the second helping of Mrs. Wong’s dish. And unlike the others, you didn’t even flinch at the burnt bits littered in the omelette. And I _am_ a doctor. It’s rare, but I’ve seen symptoms of hypogeusia before.”

“I see.”

“Don’t worry so much.” Chopsticks waved around as Sakura tried to reassure him about this revelation. “I’m not going to tell anyone. Think of this as doctor-patient confidentiality.”

His shoulders relaxed a smidge at the statement. Sakura may be defying all his preconceptions about her, but there was no deceit in her commitment to her profession, the amount of time she’d spent in both the hospital and the research center to work on and improve their healthcare was quite a well known gossip among the university staff.

“ _And_ ” How was she able to control the tension in him with just that one word? “Speaking as a doctor, I’d really appreciate it if you converse with me honestly from now on.”

“I’m sorry?”

A puff of air escaped her lips, blowing away a lock of hair. And though she was addressing him, it suddenly felt that she was looking past him and seeing someone else.

“You showed me, before...at the stairwell, the person underneath. And I just want to let you know that you don’t have to keep up a façade with me. If I say something you don’t like or if you’re not in the mood to hold a conversation, just let me know. You don’t have to force yourself to keep up appearances. Despite what people think, I’m... not a stranger to silence.”

The more she spoke, the further her gaze went until he was sure that she had sunk deep into her own thoughts. And the last hesitant line was released like a wispy breath in winter, its delivery revealing more about her than the words themselves.

He remained silent and it didn’t seem like she was waiting for his acknowledgement, the only sounds were the clacking of chopsticks on the lacquered dishware mixing with the sound of birds chirping and tumbling leaves.

It was only when there was nothing left on the plate that Sakura seemed to snap out of it, blinking down as if wondering how her food disappeared without her knowing. There was a glassy sheen to her eyes that was immediately hidden with her bowed head and she pushed herself up and made an excuse about going to the washroom, feeling Lucien’s eyes boring at her back as she walked off.

Ms. Tan came out while Sakura was away to pick up the dirty dishes, pushing him back down on the seat when he tried to assist. And declining to give any information when he asked about paying for the food, no matter how much he insisted.

“There’s no need for that. Instead, can you help ensure that the girl eats in a timely manner? I’m worried that she gets stuck in her head sometimes and forgets that her body needs to be taken care of as well.” 

The tower of dishes clattered on the steel trolley behind him and Ms. Tan took out the towel from her apron, widely wiping the wooden table, speaking to him all the while. He gave into his curiosity and asked how she had met Sakura, considering this was an area typically not visited by non-residents.

“She was walking around with some kids, I think she was babysitting at that time? And one of the more rowdy ones broke my lucky cat to tiny pieces. And I don’t know how she did it, but she distracted the kids with snacks and fixed the cat. In one hour, it was as good as new, shining even.” Sakura fixed it herself? Could it be possible that it wasn’t Youran? Is this a new Evol?

“Which reminds me, tell Sakura to bring the kids over again some time. I haven’t seen them in over a week.” He gave a quiet agreement and the lady returned his answer with a warm smile that lasted a blink, turning to head back into the kitchen. Halfway there, Sakura crossed paths with her and was also pushed away from helping, ordered to go back to work so she can finish early and go home and _rest_. 

He rose from the table and started walking towards them, Sakura moving in step with him as they said their goodbyes and went on their way.

Once they were back outside, he passed on the message of bringing the kids over and asked which of the orphans accompanied her.

“They rotate. I take a few of them at a time with me and we just wander around different areas in Loveland.”

“Is there a reason for that? Their teacher does take them around from time to time.”

“It’s different.” Sakura went on to explain upon seeing the curious look on his face. “Going anywhere as a group is not the same as intimately being acquainted with areas and people that live in the same city as you. With a smaller group of three or four, we get to spend our time meeting different people and it gives others a chance to get to know the kids individually as well instead of just being lumped together as a group. It’s good for their growth because they’d be part of that society one day so their usual haunts should not just be the orphanage or the hospital.”

Warning signs creeped up within him at the slight darkening of her tone when she mentioned the hospital. Coupled with the package she received, he grew suspicious. 

“Is there anything wrong with the hospital?”

“Oh, not really. It’s just weird. Loveland Central Hospital deals only with severe cases, except when Evols are involved. Don’t you know?” 

“Yes, they bring me in whenever there’s something about the Evols that they can’t handle or understand.”

“And they’re treated like they’re _diseased_!” Lucien moved a step to the side to prevent the arm from hitting him. “Just because the doctors there don’t have Evols doesn’t mean they should be segregating the Evols on a separate wing! And you should have seen it! It wasn’t even a proper recovery room. It looked more like a lab setup. They wouldn’t even tell me what tests they were running when Xiao Yao got admitted, saying that I wouldn’t understand it if they explained. I’m a _board certified_ doctor ”

“Xiao Yao has an Evol?” He smoothly cut off the indignant rant to focus on one important fact. That revelation was a surprise. The last time he received the results of the children’s checkups, he wasn’t on the list of potential Evol users.

“He accidentally used it when he fell off from tree climbing. I don’t fully know what it is yet, but it seems to be linked to plants? So much grass grew around him to soften his landing. I promised to come back and help him practice. _Plus_ I volunteered to assist the orphanage nurse with handling cases with Evols, working as a liaison between the school and the hospital.”

Offering his help on both Yao’s practice and her investigation at the hospital was simple. Being one of the leading Evol researchers in the city had its perks. And it would help him keep an eye on what she was getting herself into. Plus, another scientific eye on the subject could prove helpful. With Youran’s presence as the Queen being a trigger and Sakura’s observant insight into the biological effects on the body could expedite his own research.

Sakura continued her explanation, gesticulating wildly about the plans she had for the hospital and the orphanage, unaware of his slowing gait. Before he could stop himself, one hand unconsciously reached out to almost grasp her arm. He stopped a hair's breadth away, the skin of her wrist brushing like butterfly wings against his fingertips.

The almost touch raises the hairs on her arm, making her pull her run a hand across to rub away the sensation, continuing on without looking back. His taller frame meant that he could easily go back to matching her pace, but his focus was no longer on the conversation. Instead, he wondered if this was how people felt whenever he was deep into his research and the entire world fell away, leaving him chasing answers to questions people could not even fathom.

In some way, he wanted to capture that free flying essence for himself. And yet, watching Sakura shine with passion and confidence, he could finally understand Youran’s decision of letting the butterfly go. Because watching it soar was a marvellous thing to behold.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea jumped out at me while playing the game and reading Sakura fics.
> 
> Note: I only know the game till chapter 10 and watched the anime. All other information about Lucien, I will probably have to wiki.


End file.
